Chapter 37

The distance between the small town and Konoha is not great. At Hashirama's speed, he could arrive in less than a day; an ordinary person traveling by carriage, with their own food and water, would take no more than five days even at a leisurely pace.

With a lead and a target, his heart settled slightly. Since no one was tracking him this time, Hashirama, concerned for Madara's condition, hired a carriage. Along the way, he looked after Madara, took in the scenery, and dealt with any unlucky bandits who happened to cross their path. By the afternoon of the third day, they reached the outskirts of Konoha, and under the reverent gaze of the carriage driver, he carried Madara out of the vehicle.

At this time, Konoha had not long been established and was deeply guarded against outsiders. Personnel entering and leaving were vetted individually, and all carriages were under strict surveillance. Knowing his face would cause trouble and that his identity was unknown, Hashirama had the carriage stop at the perimeter and entered using... well, a rather special method.

The guards at the gate were all Jonin, but such strength was far from enough to cause him any trouble. He flashed into Konoha, easily evading the various internal sentries, and found a high, well-concealed vantage point, using the uneven surface of the mountain wall to pull himself up.

Standing at the height, he faced a massive rock wall in the distance. There were vague, carved traces on the stone, looking as if someone had intended to chisel a portrait into it. Looking down at Konoha village, the entire place was lush with trees, its layout shaped like a fan—a symbol of the contributions made by the Senju and Uchiha clans to the village's founding. The evening mist spread a hazy glow over it.

The warm breeze stirred his long hair, and Hashirama calmly scrutinized the layout of Konoha: if the Senju Hashirama of this world was truly as similar to him as his analysis suggested, where would he have his office?

Inside the Uchiha compound, a cold, oppressive atmosphere had persisted for three days.

For three consecutive days, Lord Madara... no, the Clan Head's mood had been inexplicably volatile and his behavior bizarre. This left every Uchiha clansman trembling, causing them to swarm the family mission desk or the Konoha mission center to volunteer for tasks. Any mission would do, as long as it meant leaving the Uchiha compound!

They could escape, but the elders could not.

The air in the family council hall was deathly silent. The person in the main seat leaned back against his chair, casually flipping through the files that had just been delivered. His long hair, which had been loose in the morning, was now tied back with a black ribbon, and his handsome face betrayed no emotion.

The only sound in the vast council hall was the rustling of paper; no one dared to speak first. Over these three days, the elders had realized something. The Clan Head in the morning was much like he used to be, just a bit more irritable, but the Clan Head in the afternoon was truly terrifying...

Could it be a split personality? Such a situation had never occurred before. Or was it that the Clan Head had been under too much pressure lately and had finally—gone insane?!!

This conjecture immediately made everyone feel as though the world had turned dark. No matter how insane Uchiha Madara became, he was still a top-tier ninja and the head of the Uchiha clan; they were only destined to be trampled.

"Uchiha Sahara. Starting tomorrow, you are no longer the Second Elder." Closing the file, Madara said flatly.

Uchiha Sahara was stunned, then suppressed his anger and said, "Even if you are the Clan Head, you cannot dismiss an elder without cause!"

"How can you say there is no cause?" Madara tapped his chin with his index finger, nonchalant. "I am acting out of kindness, seeing that Sahara-kun is getting on in years, so I am letting you go back to retire." Such was the nature of lying through one's teeth; Uchiha Sahara was only in his forties, while the oldest in the elder seats were in their sixties or seventies.

"You do not have that authority!"

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"The family rules clearly state: without special circumstances, the Clan Head may not dismiss elders at will!"

"Negotiating terms with this Clan Head... Heh." Madara chuckled, lifting his chin. "If you were dead, this Clan Head could replace you just the same."

A threat—a naked, blatant threat.

Uchiha Sahara recalled the kunai that had grazed his head three nights ago, and cold sweat broke out instantly. He finally realized what he was doing. Looking around the council hall, he saw not a single elder speaking up for him. He had no choice but to swallow the roar that almost escaped his throat and sit back in his seat, fuming.

Madara paid him no further mind, turning instead to ask, "Is there anyone left from Uchiha Tai's branch?"

The Uchiha elders looked at each other; the name was unfamiliar. After all, there were hundreds of people in the clan, and they could not possibly remember everyone. Seeing this, Madara, sitting in the seat of honor, narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

The First Elder of this world was also previously Uchiha Cang; after his death, the position was taken over by Uchiha Daisuke. Uchiha Daisuke vaguely remembered such a person; the man's quick-wittedness had been admirable, but unfortunately, his aptitude was lacking, and in a world where power was king, he could only fade into the crowd. Thinking of this, he replied, "Clan Head, Uchiha Tai is already dead."

Dead? Wasn't that old fox supposed to be adept at self-preservation? Madara pursed his lips, his brow furrowing slightly. "When did this happen?"

"During the final great war before the village was founded. The clan suffered heavy losses, and many clansmen sacrificed themselves."

Of course he would die if you used a strategist as a soldier! Madara sneered inwardly, too lazy to berate them. "Hmm. And his descendants?" He remembered that Uchiha Tai's grandson, Koichi, had decent aptitude; he shouldn't have died as early as Uchiha Tai.

Uchiha Takeshi, who was in charge of the family mission desk, replied, "Uchiha Koichi went out on a mission the day before yesterday and will return in about seven days. He is an elite of this generation who awakened his Three-Tomoe early."

Madara nodded. "Notify him to come see me as soon as he returns."

"Is there anything else to report? Submit your proposals."

Silence reigned below.

Tapping his index finger on the table, Madara felt his irritation growing. The Uchiha clan of this world was more like his own clan before he had cleaned it up—riddled with deep-seated problems. The elder seats were the same, but the functions and the people in them were different; there was no tacit understanding at all. There were smart people, but only with petty cleverness. Flipping through the family register, Uchiha Cang and Uchiha Tai were gone, both deceased. Uchiha Etsu and Uchiha Zhi, as clan elites, had died on the battlefield one after another—the timing was so coincidental he suspected they had committed a double suicide. Uchiha Zaitian was old, and he wasn't the type for strategy. Uchiha Takeshi, who currently managed the mission desk, was doing a decent job and didn't need to be replaced. Uchiha Minyue had married and had children, and now worked in the Family Medical Department. Uchiha Masahiko and Uchiha Yan were still around, but they were not skilled in politics or social interaction.

People he could use could only be found among the younger generation.

Furthermore, he still could not fully control this body, only managing to seize control for less than half a day. Every night, he was forced into a deep sleep, and only in the latter half of the night, when the original owner's consciousness was at its weakest, could he barely control the body's movements, only becoming fully clear-headed by the following afternoon.

If he could not return to his original world... he must find a way to completely erase the soul of the original "Uchiha Madara"!

Madara lowered his eyes, masking the cold murderous intent in them.

Night gradually shrouded the earth, and the lights of Konoha village began to twinkle like stars. The closer one got to the Hokage Building, the more visible and hidden sentries there were. Hashirama cautiously avoided the eyes and defenses; he didn't want to make the matter public knowledge.

Inside the office, the First was reviewing documents. The stack on his right had already been processed, and a large pile remained on his left waiting for review. His pen tip suddenly paused, and thorns burst through the floor, instantly binding the person who had suddenly appeared behind him! Five kunai struck the target from five different directions!

The intruder was very familiar with the attack patterns of Wood Release, not only breaking free from the thorns but also using the Body Flicker technique to dodge the kunai. The First raised his hand, only for his next move to be blocked by the opponent using Wood Release.

Wood Release?! The First was extremely shocked. In the stalemate, looking at that face identical to his own, with absolutely no traces of a transformation technique, he wondered how the other party had managed it! He blurted out, "Who are you?"

Hashirama glanced at the mountain of paperwork on the desk and suddenly didn't know what to say: was this what his future life would consist of? Why did it feel even more exhausting than going on missions...

Seeing that the other party had no intention of attacking, the First withdrew his offensive and said calmly, "What do you want by coming to Konoha?"

"My intentions... I'm afraid they are hard to believe."

"If you speak the truth, I will naturally discern it," the First said. "As long as you are not an enemy of Konoha, I will do my best to help." From the brief exchange just now, he realized that the other party's strength was not much weaker than his own. With such a powerhouse, even if Konoha could not befriend him, it must never make him an enemy.

Hashirama gave a wry smile. "Rest assured, I have no malice toward Konoha." He briefly recounted the sequence of events. The First's eyes widened in rare disbelief as he stared at him.

Senju bloodline, an identical appearance, and the ability to use Wood Release. The story sounded preposterous, yet the First was forced to believe it. Moreover, a powerhouse with strength comparable to his own would never deign to engage in such a deception.

Thinking of this, his gaze toward the other man shifted from scrutiny to curiosity.

...The feeling of seeing another version of oneself face-to-face was truly surreal...

"So, you are the one who broke into the Tailed Beast Altar?" As expected, Konoha came first in all things; the first thing the First asked after recovering from his surprise was actually this.

"Aside from Senju Hashirama, who else possesses Wood Release?" Hashirama smiled.

"Uchiha Madara has come as well?"

Hashirama nodded; he had just concealed the fact that Madara was currently unconscious. The Senju Hashirama of another world... was, after all, not entirely himself.

"Your goal is to return, is it not?"

"Yes. The reason we arrived in this world is likely related to the Nine-Tails. Therefore, we hope you can open the Altar."

The First pondered for a moment. "Not right now; the situation is still too chaotic." Because the Land of Fire had monopolized all nine Tailed Beasts, it was under pressure from all sides, and they were currently in their most difficult period.

As expected of his counterpart from another world, Hashirama had anticipated this. "No matter. I shall remain in Konoha for the time being."

"Uchiha Madara is coming too?" Before the words had even faded, both men grew alert simultaneously.

Hashirama turned his head just in time to see Uchiha Madara pushing the door open and stepping inside.

"Were you talking about me?"